{"id":20660,"date":"2024-02-18T09:08:50","date_gmt":"2024-02-18T14:08:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/england-captain-ben-stokes-could-bowl-against-india-as-side-look-to-bounce-back-from-434-run-thrashing-in-rajkot-cricket-news\/18\/02\/2024\/"},"modified":"2024-02-18T09:08:50","modified_gmt":"2024-02-18T14:08:50","slug":"england-captain-ben-stokes-could-bowl-against-india-as-side-look-to-bounce-back-from-434-run-thrashing-in-rajkot-cricket-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/england-captain-ben-stokes-could-bowl-against-india-as-side-look-to-bounce-back-from-434-run-thrashing-in-rajkot-cricket-news\/18\/02\/2024\/","title":{"rendered":"England captain Ben Stokes could bowl against India as side look to bounce back from 434-run thrashing in Rajkot | Cricket News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Captain Ben Stokes has not ruled out bowling for England in the final two Tests against India as his side look to recover from a 434-run thrashing in Rajkot.<\/p>\n

The tourists suffered their heaviest defeat in terms of runs since 1934 as they were skittled for 122 on day four of the third Test – tailender Mark Wood (33 off 15) was the only player to pass 16 as England slipped 2-1 down in the five-match series.<\/p>\n

Stokes has not bowled against India so far as he continues to recover from surgery on his left knee late last year but told TNT Sports<\/em> that he “feels great.”<\/p>\n

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Sky Sports’ England player ratings: Third Test<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n <\/thead>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Zak Crawley<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ben Duckett <\/td>\n8.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ollie Pope<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Joe Root<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jonny Bairstow <\/td>\n3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ben Stokes <\/td>\n6.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ben Foakes <\/td>\n6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rehan Ahmed <\/td>\n7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tom Hartley<\/td>\n6.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mark Wood<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
James Anderson<\/td>\n6.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The 32-year-old said: “I have managed to get my first bowl at 100 per cent. I’m not going to lie. I feel really great.<\/p>\n

“As a person I like to jump the gun a little bit but things are feeling really good. I have a whole body to get used to bowling again.<\/p>\n

“It’s not a yes – but it’s not a no either.”<\/p>\n

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‘The only opinions that matter are ours’<\/h3>\n

England’s second innings lasted just 39.4 overs with India left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja taking five wickets, including Joe Root (7) and Jonny Bairstow (4) lbw on the sweep.<\/p>\n

However, the away side threw away a golden opportunity in their first innings, with Ben Duckett’s sublime century having propelled the team to 224-2 in reply to India’s 445 all out and with home off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin absent due to a family emergency.<\/p>\n

Root was promptly caught off Jasprit Bumrah on the reverse scoop – a shot Telegraph<\/em> writer Scyld Berry described as the stupidest shot in English Test cricket history – and a blizzard of rash strokes led to England losing eight wickets for 95 runs and their final five for 20.<\/p>\n

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\n Joe Root was out on the reverse scoop in England’s first innings, triggering a collapse of 8-95
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India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal subsequently scored his second double century of the series as the hosts set their opponents a record 557 to win – and then demolished them.<\/p>\n

Asked at the presentation whether England were reckless with the bat on the third morning, Stokes said: “Everyone has a perception, an opinion but the opinions of the people in the dressing room are the only ones that matter to us.<\/p>\n

“Duckett played an unbelievable first innings and that was the tone we wanted to set throughout.<\/p>\n

“It was about identifying that opportunity to push the scoreboard on and get as close as we could do to India’s total.<\/p>\n

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\n Ben Duckett struck 153 from 151 balls in England’s first innings at Rajkot
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“I wanted us to be bowling yesterday, even though it came earlier than we expected, because of how we felt the wicket was going.<\/p>\n

“We wanted to push the game on as much as we possibly could, but sometimes game-plans don’t work out.<\/p>\n

“It doesn’t always work out how you want, but we still have a great chance to win the trophy 3-2.”<\/p>\n

‘Stokes’ England better placed than any other side to park this defeat’<\/h3>\n

Stokes added to TNT Sports<\/em>: “I am very disappointed to be on the wrong side of a result but the one thing we are very good at as a team is leaving it behind us and focusing on what is ahead.<\/p>\n

“Games can be won and lost in the head so we will be leaving all the disappointment and emotion from this week and moving on to the next one [in Ranchi from Friday].”<\/p>\n

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\n \"Ben\n <\/div>
\n Image:<\/span>
\n England captain Stokes: ‘Games can be won and lost in the head so we will be leaving all the disappointment and emotion from this week and moving on to the next one’
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\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook added while analysing the game for TNT Sports<\/em>: “This side is better placed than any other side in England history to park a 434-run loss.<\/p>\n

“In isolation that is an incredible figure but Stokes has this unflappable belief that he can win from anywhere. That belief rubs off on his team.<\/p>\n

“I imagine [England Test coach] Brendon McCullum will be checking people are okay in themselves and with their own games but there will be no big team meetings.<\/p>\n

“Stokes will be practising heads and tails as if he can win [the toss], that’s probably the most important thing he can do.”<\/p>\n

Follow over-by-over text commentary from the fourth Test between India and England, in Ranchi, live on skysports.com and the Sky Sports App from 3.45am on Friday (first ball at 4am).<\/strong><\/p>\n

England Test series in India 2024<\/h3>\n

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Captain Ben Stokes has not ruled out bowling for England in the final two Tests against India as his side look to